Business Before Pleasure
by Raphael Comet
Summary: A short story I wrote back in college. It's a story about a Yakuza assassin struggling to balance her work and her love life. Things take a turn for the worst in a wintery wonderland for our main protagonist.


Business Before Pleasure

She sighed as she drove around the bend, continuing on up the spiraling mountain road. Her hands tightly gripped the wheel as her eyes were fixated forward ahead of her. She was alone, the inside of the vehicle quiet and still. Just what in the world am I doing out here, she wondered as she adjusted the heat on her A/C. Then it hit her. She let out a sigh as her mind began to wander, remembering exactly how she ended up in this situation.

#

"Sakura-chan. Sakura, are you even listening?"

Sakura snapped out of her daydream, looking up at the others gathered around the oval table. Their eyes were all fixed on her, especially the speaker at the head of the table. "Sorry. Just thinking about stuff," she said.

Kai just glared at her then continued speaking. "The Boss is getting very impatient with us," he said, his tone firm as his eyes looked to every person there. "Our rivals, those damn Yellow Jackets, are on the verge of falling apart. Their Don is deathly ill and his son is his sole successor. All we need to do is kill the son and the gang will be in utter disarray." He then slammed his fists on the table, emphasizing his frustration. "But we can't find the little bastard and the Boss is blaming us!"

Sakura yawned theatrically, making her boredom known to the rest of the Yakuza there. Most of her peers present were older than her by several years, but they just withheld their contempt and annoyance as they crossed their arms over their chests.

Kai, the Boss' second-in-command, saw her display of rudeness and scowled at her. "Am I boring you, Sakura? This is serious business."

She placed her hands behind her head, raising her feet and placing them crossed over each other on the table. "Just leave it to me and I'll find your man…"

The others at the meeting muttered amongst themselves, occasionally glancing over at Sakura. Kai remained standing at the head of the table, looking to her with a firm expression. "We all know of your impressive reputation, but this is our chance to finally gain the upper hand in the war for this city. Once we take out the Yellow Jackets, the other gangs will back off and we, the Kuro Kitsune Yakuza, will finally control everything!"

"Yeah yeah, tell me something I don't know." Sakura sighed and sat up straight in her seat. "Look, just give me some time and I'll have the Yellow Jacket's heir crushed under my boot. You know I always get my man."

#

Hearing the sound of a truck's horn blaring, she jerked the wheel to her silver, sports coupe. She nearly got back in her lane, just as a large semi passed her by on the opposite lane. She shook her head, snapping out of her daydream as she focused on driving again. After a few more miles, she arrived at the campgrounds where she was supposed to meet her date, parking in an empty space next to her boyfriend's car.

The chilly mountain air filled her lungs as she stepped out of her car, braving the briskness of the outdoors. As she exhaled, she saw her breath form in front of her face as she closed the door to her vehicle. She moved around to the back of her coupe, opening up the trunk with a sigh. She pulled out her heavy winter jacket and put it on, followed by her gloves and knit cap. Her backpack was filled to capacity with cold-weather, mountain hiking gear and other camping items.

"Wow, Sakura, think you got enough in that bag? Looks like you've got more than me. You need any help there?" She looked up from her trunk to see her boyfriend walking over to her, toting his own stuffed backpack on his back. He was also wearing a heavy winter jacket, gloves, and knit cap.

"No, I think I got it, Raph" she said, slinging the pack over her shoulder before closing her trunk.

Raphael smiled as he stood next to her, adjusting his backpack's straps across his chest. "It's finally nice to meet you in person. Your profile picture doesn't do your real beauty justice."

She rolled her eyes and pocketed her keys. "Yeah yeah. And you ain't so bad yourself." She chuckled and gave him a wink, pleased with his appearance in person. She had only seen pictures of him online, some full-body and others of his chest up. Regardless, she was relieved that those images matched the person standing before her. "Now let's get going. So much to do, so little time…" she said, starting to walk off and heading for one of the trails that led further into the forest.

Raphael smiled and followed her steps, walking alongside her. "So… do you know where you're going?"

She looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "We've just met face-to-face and you're doubting me already?"

He looked at her and shook his head. "No no! Sorry. I just wanted to make sure we weren't straying too far from the path. That's all."

She smirked, taking out a map of the park. It was all marked up and she seemed to have everything already traced out in red marker. "Don't worry. I already got it all planned out, so just chill." She gave him a quick glance of the route then folded it back up, stashing it away in one of her jacket's pockets.

He took in what small amount of information he could from the quick glance then withdrew once Sakura folded up the map. "Looks like you got things under control. Sorry for doubting you there," he said, smiling weakly.

Sakura rolled her eyes and kept walking. "Yeah yeah…"

The weather around them was calm. There was no breeze, the sky was clear, and the sun's ray's provided enough extra warmth to make hiking comfortable. As the two of them entered the woods following a snow covered trail, Raphael pointed out several of the local flora and fauna around them. He showed Sakura a few of the indigenous birds that lived there, some of the different trees, and even identified some of the woodland creatures' paw prints in the snow. He and she then followed one of the trails for a bit off the beaten path, only to come to a hole under a tree. Sakura wanted to head back before they got too lost, and after not being able to see the creature that called the burrow its home, Raphael agreed and they headed back to the path.

She watched as he went around, taking pictures left and right with such enthusiasm that it made her chuckle a bit. "How in the world can you find all this that interesting? I mean, it's just trees and animals," she said as she walked along with him.

Raphael was looking at his camera, cycling through the recent pictures he'd taken of a red fox. "Well…" He finished looking over his pictures and slung his camera over his shoulder. "I used to volunteer at animal shelters and such while in college. I just love caring for the animals. And seeing some of the animals that are brought in, those poor, helpless, abandoned creatures. They could really use my love and affection." His expression changed momentarily as he looked saddened, but quickly returned to his normal, cheerful self. "But, that was back then. I'm sure the animals at those shelters are doing fine now."

She looked at him, smirking a bit. "You really have a thing for nature, don't you? I know your interests section was just filled with nature-sounding stuff, but you didn't talk about it much in our chats. Now that we're out here, it's all you can talk about. It's like you've got a complete hard-on for it."

He looked at her and blushed slightly. "We humans need to protect the environment and ensure that it remains in good condition for future generations. And who wouldn't want to take care of an adorable puppy or kitty? It's a real shame how many people abandon animals on a daily basis."

"Save it for future generations, huh? That's… an interesting way of thinking about it." She walked along with him, pondering his words.

While they hiked along, Raphael continued to talk more about himself and his love for helping animals and learning about nature. The more and more he spoke, Sakura actually began to feel sorry for him, thinking that he deserved better. Eventually, they started talking about other things, such as their likes, hobbies, and personal lives.

"So… Raph, what do you do for a living? I'm not quite sure your profile mentioned that, and every time I asked in our chats, you kinda avoided the question. You do have a job, right?" she said.

Raphael sighed, dragging his feet a little as he walked. "Nothing at the moment… but eventually my dad wants me to take over the family business." He let out another sigh, looking down at his feet.

She looked over to him, noticing his lack of enthusiasm. "Oh? And what kind of business would that be? You don't seem all that interested in it."

"I don't know, but it's certainly not what I want to do." He then looked up ahead of him and groaned. "If he really wanted me to take over the family business, then he shouldn't have sent me to college. He would've noticed when I took up a major in biology instead of business administration. He really doesn't care about me. Now, I want to do something science related and he won't let me!" He scoffed and crossed his arms, pouting slightly.

Listening to his complaining, she just shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I guess not everyone can have what they want, but at least you have me."

He smiled at her attempt to comfort him. "So what do you do for a living? I didn't see that either in your profile."

"I'd rather not talk about it." Her expression was dark as she walked ahead of him, taking out her map and leading the way.

He cocked his head slightly, confused at the deflection of his question. He caught up to her, walking by her side. "What's the matter? You unemployed too?"

She glanced at the map and sighed, placing it back in her jacket. "No. I have a job. It's just… not one I like go around telling people about. It's very… hush hush." She looked to him and moved her index finger and thumb across her lips, mimicking the motion of a zipper.

"Oh. Secret government stuff. Got it." He smiled, copying her expression.

A smile tugged at her face. Secret government stuff… right, she thought.

When the sun began to set, Sakura found them a suitable location to set up camp for the night; it was too dangerous to continue hiking in the darkness, so she planned to wait until morning to continue on. They scouted an open clearing around some trees to set up their campsite, splitting up duties so they could get to eating quicker. After finishing most of their dinner, Raphael and Sakura sat around the campfire as the sun's rays finally disappeared behind the horizon. Raphael was unsure of where they were, or if they were still on the designated path, but he trusted Sakura was leading them the right way.

The two of them were resting together, a chocolate bar in each of their hands as they watched the fire flicker in the darkness. Sakura was casually sitting next to him on the log, staring blankly at the fire with an almost bored look. She sighed as she let her thoughts wander to memoires past.

#

Sakura sighed as she sat at her desk, staring at her computer screen with tired eyes. It had been a couple weeks since that meeting with the Yakuza officers and she still had nothing on the Don's son. She sifted through lead after lead, trying to connect the dots and find out where her target was. After coming up with nearly nothing, she turned off her computer and exhaled loudly. "I need a vacation…" she said to herself, wishing the job was already done.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door as Kai appeared in her doorway. "Any progress yet?"

Sakura glanced over, turning in her seat to face him. "Somewhat…" She sighed again, massaging her temples.

"Looks like you could use a break," said Kai, stepping into her room. "How's that boyfriend of yours coming along? Giving you any trouble yet?"

"He's fine. Just… peachy." She just looked at Kai, wishing he'd just leave her to her work.

"Maybe after this job, assuming you complete it, you and him can take a nice vacation somewhere?"

She smirked, shaking her head as she thought it over in her head. "Yeah, that would be nice, wouldn't it? And just what would we do?"

Kai looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Why don't you two see the mountains or something? I hear it's a nice hike out there in the winter…"

"At least that sounds cheap. I blew most of the last contract I did on frivolous girl things," said Sakura with a chuckle.

Kai rolled his eyes and headed back out into the hallway. "At least consider it," he said before leaving.

Before Sakura could get up to leave her room, two other members from the Kuro Kitsune Yakuza stepped in, prompting her to stand with her arms crossed by her seat. "What are you two doing in here?" she asked with a sour look on her face.

The taller of the pair, and the one with a more imposing look, confronted Sakura. "We've heard some talk around here that you're looking for a way out. A sort of… rumor about an early retirement, if you will," he said.

Sakura continued to scowl at them, not wanting to deal with their bullshit at the moment. "Then it's just a rumor you've been hearing. You should learn to keep your nose out of other people's business, especially people with reputations like mine." She balled her hand into a fist, gritting her teeth as she stepped around him.

The shorter of the two gang members blocked her path and stood between her and the exit to her room. "C'mon, Sakura-sempai. You can't seriously be thinking about leaving our big, happy family," he said.

The taller one stepped behind her, sandwiching her between him and the other gang member. "Just lay it on us straight before we have to make things… physical."

Sakura just shook her head and smirked, looking the shorter gangster in front of her in the eye. Before they could react, she punched the gangster in front of her in the gut with perfect form, knocking the breath right out of him. As he was buckling over from the blow, she followed up with a swift back kick to the foe behind her, striking him square in the solar plexus. He was knocked off his feet as Sakura stood before them, scoffing at them.

"You two dare think you can behave this way to my face? Ha! I've killed people for much less than that." She grabbed her jacket and headed to the door. "You two better be gone by the time I get back."

#

The crackling sound of the fire brought her back as Raphael added a few more twigs to keep the flame burning. She blinked a few times then glanced over at him fiddling with his candy bar. She sighed again, and as she turned her attention back to the fire, he turned his head back to her. He sat there, admiring her beauty. He scooted closer to her, moving only a few inches at a time as a slight blush appeared on his cheeks.

After he shuffled a couple more times, Sakura looked over at him and noticed he was really close to her. Seeing her gaze on him, he smiled and moved even closer, their faces nearly touching. He remained silent as he looked into her bright, blue eyes.

"Uh, what are you doing?" she asked in a nonchalant manner. She just blinked, not moving her head or scooting away. Before she knew it, Raphael had his lips pressed against hers as they kissed. She was completely caught off guard as she looked on with surprise and shock, seeing him continue to kiss her as if nothing was wrong. Unable to take anymore, she pushed him back and gave him an appalled look, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Her cheeks were bright red from the sudden act of affection, but she didn't care.

He looked at her, worried that he may have done something to offend her. "What's wrong?"

She just glared at him, not saying a word.

"Was it my breath? I- I didn't mean for our first kiss to be that bad for you," he said, moving closer to her.

Shaking her head, she just scoffed at him and stormed off to their tent, moving inside and getting comfy in her sleeping bag. She laid there, conflicting thoughts going through her head as she touched her lips, his kiss still lingering there.

Raphael looked to the tent with disappointment and confusion, feeling ashamed that she reacted the way she did when he kissed her. He must've surprised her too much, he thought, and maybe she wasn't ready to be that close yet. He sighed, finishing his chocolate bar as he poked the fire with a stick. It was the first time meeting her in person and he was already screwing up.

When it was time to turn in, Raphael extinguished the fire and made his way over to the tent. Sakura was still in her sleeping bag, facing away from his. He made his way over to her, but decided not to rouse her. There'd be time in the morning to apologize, he thought. Little did he know, Sakura was just feigning sleep as she continued to ponder thoughts about him and their future together. He just sighed and got in his sleeping bag, his back facing hers as he went to sleep.

When morning came around, Sakura awoke to the smell of wood burning and the brisk, chill mountain air. She yawned as she stretched her arms, getting out of her sleeping bag and crawling to the tent's entrance. Raphael's sleeping bag was empty, so she figured he was already up and about having breakfast. She opened the flap and stepped outside, shielding her eyes from the bright morning sun.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Raphael spotted Sakura from his place at the campfire. His cheeks reddened a bit but looked away shyly, waiting for her to come sit by him at the fire. "Morning, Sakura. How'd you sleep?"

She saw him sitting on a log by the fire and made her way over to him, sitting next to him. She remained silent, moving her exposed hands to the fire to warm herself up. Her expression was mute as she tried to straighten out her messy bed-head with her hands.

Once she sat down, he placed down his thermos and turned to her. "Hey, about last night…"

Sakura looked to him and shook her head, placing a finger to his mouth. "It's all right. There's nothing to worry about," she said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Seeing her not upset made him smile as well, giving her a nod. He then offered some of his hot cocoa and they had breakfast together, moving past their awkward experience the night before. "That's a relief. I was worried that I screwed this entire trip up," he said before taking a sip of his drink.

"You didn't mess it up. After a goodnight's sleep, and thinking about it in hindsight, I… I kinda liked it." She blushed slightly, moving her cup to take a drink. "It was much better than all the 'kisses' and 'hugs' we did during our chats. It felt… more real."

Raphael looked over at her and blushed slightly as well. "Yeah, you're right. It was much better than the usual emoticon and stuff."

After finishing their meal and packing up camp, the two love birds continued on, hiking along the route Sakura had chosen for them. The surrounding area seemed very remote, but Raphael didn't mind it. He actually preferred the solitude of their path, rather than the recommended route the park rangers had set for hikers. The way they were going, the environment seemed less disturbed by other people. Now that he thought about it, the snow was fresh and their tracks were the only ones he could see. Even so, he still continued to point out the occasional local bird or a deer in the distance, spewing out random fact after another.

It was mid-afternoon and the sun had already begun its journey towards the horizon. They had arrived at the intended checkpoint along Sakura's planned route, finding another suitable place to set up their campsite. This time, Raphael took care of setting up the campfire while Sakura pitched tent and prepared the sleeping arrangements.

After they were setting up camp, Sakura found herself alone in their tent, trying to get her emotions under control. Raphael was outside preparing dinner while she got their sleeping bags squared away. She exhaled deeply, her hand resting on her small toiletry bag. Making sure Raphael was nowhere near her, she looked at it, not wanting to think about its contents. Tensing up, she finally unzipped the toiletry bag and pulled out a compact sized handgun and matching suppressor, the chilled steel of the items stinging her hands slightly. She began screwing the suppressor onto her pistol, sliding it over the barrel extension as she let her mind start to wander off.

#

"So how's it going, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked up from her computer screen to see Kai peeking over her shoulder. "I can't take too much more of this shit. It's been three months! This online dating stuff is killing me." She let out a sigh of loathing as she continued the chat on her computer.

"Well, that's too bad. After this job, you won't have to put up with it anymore and you can finally go on vacation with your lover," he said with a snicker. "So I assume progress on the Don's son is going smoothly?"

"Quite…" she said without moving her eyes from the screen. She continued typing on her keyboard then pressed the enter key with much disdain.

"Really now? And what about that guy you're dating? Haven't seen him around lately. What was his name again, Satoshi?"

She huffed at the screen before turning to meet Kai's gaze. "I dumped his ungrateful ass days ago. What a complete shithead that guy was…" After hearing a ping from her computer, she looked back to the screen and grinned. She began typing again as Kai moved around to the other side of her chair.

Kai crossed his arms over his chest and just stood there. "That's too bad. What will you do now?"

Sakura continued typing and pressed enter with a spritely motion, smirking contently. "Actually, everything's just fine." She turned in her seat towards him and looked him in the eye. "I just landed a secret date with the Don's son this weekend. No guards, no surveillance, nothing. Completely off the grid. He's going to sneak away from his hiding spot to meet me in the mountains for a little hike." After thinking about it, she snickered to herself. "Easiest... job… ever."

#

Hearing a voice from outside, she quickly snapped out of her trance. She looked at the weapon in her hand then to the entrance to the tent, sighing with apprehension. Before she left, she stashed the gun away behind her, placing it in her pant's waistband until the time was right. Pushing aside the tent's flap, she made her way outside and searched around for Raphael. "Raph?" she asked, looking around the camp site. She found him standing at the edge of an embankment, looking towards the horizon.

He turned to her, motioning her over with a welcoming smile. "Come watch this with me. Let's enjoy the last few moments of warmth before the sun goes down."

She gave him a nod, stepping through the snow as she moved over to him, not completely to his side but a bit behind him. As she stood there, she kept her right hand behind her, grasping the grip of the pistol hidden in the back of her pants. It was still concealed by her jacket, just in case something came along that caused her to abort the killing. He continued to watch the sunset, unsuspecting of her murderous intent. She kept her eyes on him, trying to force herself to go through with it. When it was time, she pulled the pistol from her pants and was about to raise it until she heard his voice.

"You know, I've always loved sunsets…"

Sakura stopped, keeping her pistol down at her side but away from his sight. "You- you do?"

Raphael breathed in the fresh mountain air and sighed happily. "Yeah. The way the sun leaves the sky a bright orange and red, and sometimes even violet and maroon. It's quite a sight that happens every day, and hardly anybody pays any attention to it. Watching the sunset is like my own personal art show, nature painting a portrait that will only last for that moment then vanish, never to happen again in the same way."

As she listened to his words, she loosened her grip on the gun, placing it back in her waistband. "I've… never looked at it that way before." She moved beside him, taking his hand in hers as she looked into his eyes. Perhaps all the chats online she did with him and researching him thoroughly had finally grown on her. She began rethinking her line of work and her plans to finally leave the Kuro Kitsune Yakuza. This could be her chance, she thought, her one opportunity to leave and with a person she actually cares about. "Raph, I-"

Before she could finish, the snow beneath her gave way as she let go of his hand, sliding down the embankment towards the ravine. She tried to slow herself down to prevent plummeting in, but there was nothing to grab onto; it was just a smooth slope of ice and snow. "Raph!" she shrieked, looking up to him while on her stomach, her arms reaching out for him.

"Sakura!" Raphael hurried down the slope, sliding down as he reached out for her. Before she slid over the edge, he grabbed one of her arms at the last moment, holding on to her while using his other hand to hold on to a large, exposed tree root.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her pistol tumble passed her, falling into the ravine below as it made clanging sounds against the rocky edges. Quickly forgetting the gun, she looked up at him, trying to hold on to his arm. "Raph, I'm slipping!" Her grip slowly moved down his arm until eventually, her hand in his was the only thing preventing her plummet into the dark abyss.

Raphael looked frantically into her eyes, trying to hold on to both the large root and her hand. "Hold on!" He tried to pull her up, but as he did, her hand started to slip out of her glove.

Sakura's heart sank as she saw her hand fully exposed. Time seemed to stand still as Raphael held an empty glove in his hand, his eyes locked on hers. She looked up at him and was speechless, seeing his image fade as she fell into the ravine below. There was nothing but silence until the sound of her body hitting the bottom echoed through the chasm.

Raphael looked on with horror, his hand still outstretched with Sakura's glove still in it. After finally coming to terms with what he had just witnessed, he withdrew his hand and knelt beside the edge, looking over into the ravine. "Sakura?" he cried out, but only silence answered him back. He began panicking as he tried to look for a way down. "I'm coming! J- just hang on!" He found a steep slope heading into the ravine, and against his better judgment, started making his way down. The sun had almost fully set by then, so he used his cell-phone as a means to light his way; all his gear was still up at camp and he hastily started his rescue without bringing the proper supplies along with him. Emotion got the better of him as he got to the edge of the slope, still not fully at the bottom.

He exhaled and psyched himself up to continue on. "Okay. Almost there. Just a little bit more," he said to himself. Pocketing his phone, he took off his gloves and moved his body over the edge, gripping the rock face as he began descending down. He was barely able to get a grip on the rock as the cold stung his exposed hands. Suddenly, he lost his footing and fell the rest of the way with a gasp, spraining his ankle as hit the ground hard. He cried out as he rolled on the ground, grasping his injured leg. Remembering Sakura, he groaned as he got back to his feet, limping as he took out his phone again.

"Sakura?" he yelled out, his voice echoing through the ravine's walls.

He started hobbling further into the chasm until his foot bumped something, an object definitely not made of rock. Kneeling down, the light from the phone revealed Sakura's suppressed pistol, partially buried in the snow. Curious, he picked it up with his bares hands, wondering what a gun like that was doing at the bottom of the ravine. The chilled metal nipped his hands as he took a moment to inspect it further. Suddenly, the moans of a person nearby brought him out of his curiosity as he rushed towards the source. "Sakura! I'm coming!" He moved as fast as his injured body could, still holding his phone and the pistol. The reflective stripes on her jacket caught his eye as he finally came to her side. "Sakura, are you okay? Can you move?" he asked in a concerned tone. He set the gun beside her and grasped her exposed hand in his.

Sakura managed to open her eyes and turned her head towards him, not seeing the weapon at her side. "…Raph?"

"Yeah, I'm here," said Raphael, keeping his eyes on hers. "I'm going to get you out of here, just you wait." He looked around frantically, trying to find a way out as he shouted up towards the top of the chasm. He yelled as loud as he could, pleading to anyone that might be nearby to come help them. After his voice started to tire, he tried to use his phone, but it had no reception. He raised his phone as high as he could, but it was no use; he couldn't get a signal anywhere from the bottom of the ravine. He tried not to panic as he sat alongside her, cursing himself for not thinking his rescue through.

She sighed, closing her eyes again. "I can't… feel my legs." She then winced as she gasped with pain. "But… my back hurts pretty bad."

Hearing her faint voice, he looked back to her. Raphael started to see the snow beneath her turn red as he moved his phone all around her. He gently turned her on her side and winced, laying her back down again. She had fallen on a large rock that was protruding through the snow covered bottom. Sakura must've suffered a spinal injury from the fall and was losing blood fast. Raphael didn't want to break the news to her, but instead stayed by her side during her last remaining moments of life.

"Everything's going to be okay, hun. You're fine. Just a scratch…" he said, masking his tears with a façade of hope. He sniffled a bit, keeping his smile optimistic.

Sakura gasped for breath then smiled at him. "Raph… there's something… I need to tell you." Her voice was weak and she was barely able to speak.

Raphael placed his hand on her forehead, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Shush now. Save your strength. You're… you're going to make it through this." A tear ran down his cheek and fell onto hers.

Even though she couldn't feel her body, she felt that tear on her cheek. She mustered up the last of her energy and courage, looking deep into his eyes. "I'm… I'm not who you…" Before she could finish, she noticed the pistol lying beside her.

Raphael saw her eyes veer off from his and followed her gaze, ending up on the pistol as well. He sighed slightly, returning his attention back to hers. "That pistol… It's yours, isn't it?" he asked.

She paused, an expression of dread and loathing on her face as she met his gaze. She nodded slowly, beginning to tear from the guilt and situation they were in. "I'm... sorry, Raph," she said, forcing the words out with the little energy she had left.

Raphael just shook his head in disbelief, unable to come to terms with the revelation. How could he have been manipulated so easily? How did he not see through her charms and realize she was a gang member, one that was set on killing him? He cursed to himself, looking away from her. "You're an assassin trying to kill me. Why?" he asked.

"You know why. You're… you're the son of… the Don. We know he's ill, and when he dies… you're next in line. It was all part of… our plan to take over the city." Sakura was nearly out of breath and the pain from her body made it even more difficult to speak.

Raphael listened to her and sighed. So that was why they wanted him dead, he thought. Of course. There was no escaping his gangster heritage, even if he denounced his position. "I guess… that makes sense." They both sat there for a few moments in silence, letting the reality of their situation sink in. "So was all that time we spent together online… a lie?" he asked out of the blue.

Sakura shook her head. "In the beginning… perhaps. I didn't lie, though. Everything I said… was true. But after awhile, I started… to like you." She winced as she tried to move, but gave him another weak smile. "It's true, Raph. You treated me… like a real person, and not like some asset, like those in… the Double K."

As she spoke, Raphael continued to keep eye contact with her, using his phone to keep their faces slightly illuminated. "I'm sorry we couldn't have met under more normal circumstances, Sakura. I wish… we could've been together." Suddenly, Sakura began whimpering and cried out in anguish which caused Raphael to instinctively grasp her hand. "Sakura!"

She writhed in pain as the cold and injury began to take their toll on her body. "I can't… I can't take this anymore." She paused, trying to get control of herself through the searing pain coursing through her body. "Raph, I need to ask you something."

"Anything. What is it, Sakura?"

"…do you really love me?" she asked, turning her head to meet his gaze in the growing darkness.

Raphael thought the question over for a brief moment then smiled, placing a hand on her cheek. "Yes, of course I do."

She smiled then returned to a more serious expression. "Then… there's something I want you to do… for me."

"Just name it and I'll do it. It's the least I can do for deciding not to kill me."

Sakura was about to continue with her request but stopped, double-taking and looking back at him. "How… how did you know I decided not to kill you… at the last second? The gun… was hidden."

He smirked, shaking his head. "You could've easily have shot me with this silenced pistol while I was watching the sunset, but you didn't. Instead, you took the time to enjoy the moment with me. You- Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

"…suppressed."

Raphael tilted his head in confusion, leaning in closer to hear her better. "What was that, Sakura?"

Sakura cleared her throat from the blood that started collected in it. "You said… silenced. My pistol… is suppressed. It's suppressed, not silenced… you noob."

Raphael paused then chuckled at her remark, appreciating her sense of humor in her dire state. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Anyway… there's something I need… you to do." She coughed up a bit of blood which spattered on her cheeks. "I need you…" She reached for the pistol and took it, holding it out to Raphael. "…to kill me."

After hearing her request, Raphael was nearly speechless, unsure if he had heard her correctly. "Wha- what? I can't do that!" He shook his head furiously at the very notion of killing her. "I can't do that. You-"

Before he could finish, Sakura snapped at him, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Stop. You… need to. I'm… not going to make it. And… I'm... in a lot… of pain." Just as she finished her sentence, a sharp pain arose in her chest that made her gasp for air. She was breathing heavily in short, choppy breaths as she tried to hang on to consciousness.

Raphael couldn't even fathom the thought of easing her pain by killing her. Seeing the pistol still in her hand, he hesitantly took it from her after pocketing his now dead cell-phone, looking at the cold steel before glancing back to her. He had fired a gun once or twice at his father's request, so he knew the basics of how to operate it. He checked the magazine and made sure it was loaded, racking the slide back. "Please, don't make me do this…" he said, trying to get out of committing a mercy kill.

Sakura continued to cough up blood and shook her head. Her voice was faint as she closed her eyes. "Please… I can't… continue like this. Please, for me..." Her voice trailed off at the end as she laid there, her eyes closed as her breathing became erratic.

Seeing her in such misery like that, helpless and unable to move, Raphael gripped the pistol and shakily stood up, still on a limp. He cocked the hammer back on the weapon with his thumb and tried to aim it at her, but couldn't bear to keep it pointed at her. His entire body was trembling as he tried to keep the gun aimed at her, placing a finger through the trigger guard. Still not able to pull the trigger fully, he looked down at her one last time. "I'm… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sakura."

She gave a slight nod, still not opening her eyes to see her death coming. "It's okay. Please, do it."

Giving a nod, he calmed himself as much as he could, aiming the pistol at her head. He kept a firm grip on it with both hands before closing his eyes, and after a few moments of silence, he pulled the trigger. The shot wasn't as loud as it normally would have, even for a small caliber weapon, but it still echoed through the ravine as it continued to ring in Raphael's ears moments after he fired. When the ringing stopped, and the surrounding area quiet again, he opened his eyes.

It felt like his heart stopped as he held the pistol in his hand, staring at her lifeless body. He began tearing a bit as he began to give up hope. His girlfriend was dead, he was stuck at the bottom of a chasm and couldn't escape, and nobody was coming to save them. He broke down in tears as he knelt down beside Sakura's lifeless body, tightly gripping the pistol as he felt a sudden chill pressed against the side of his head.

###


End file.
